登陆注册
15299100000002

第2章

Yea, save us, the maidenly troop, from the doom and despair of the slave, For the crests of the foemen come onward, their rush is the rush of a wave Rolled on by the War-god's breath! almighty one, hear us and save From the grasp of the Argives' might! to the ramparts of Cadmus they crowd, And, clenched in the teeth of the steeds, the bits clink horror aloud And seven high chieftains of war, with spear and with panoply bold, Are set, by the law of the lot, to storm the seven gates of our hold!

antistrophe 1

Be near and befriend us, O Pallas, the Zeus-born maiden of might!

O lord of the steed and the sea, be thy trident uplifted to smite In eager desire of the fray, Poseidon! and Ares come down, In fatherly presence revealed, to rescue Harmonia's town!

Thine too, Aphrodite, we are! thou art mother and queen of our race, To thee we cry out in our need, from thee let thy children have grace!

Ye too, to scare back the foe, be your cry as a wolf's howl wild, Thou, O the wolf-lord, and thou, of she-wolf Leto the child!

strophe 2

Woe and alack for the sound, for the rattle of cars to the wall, And the creak of the griding axles! O Hera, to thee is our call!

Artemis, maiden beloved! the air is distraught with the spears, And whither doth destiny drive us, and where is the goal of our fears?

antistrophe 2

The blast of the terrible stones on the ridge of our wall is not stayed, At the gates is the brazen clash of the bucklers-Apollo to aid!

Thou too, O daughter of Zeus, who guidest the wavering fray To the holy decision of fate, Athena! be with us to-day!

Come down to the sevenfold gates and harry the foemen away!

strophe 3

O gods and O sisters of gods, our bulwark and guard! we beseech That ye give not our war-worn hold to a rabble of alien speech!

List to the call of the maidens, the hands held up for the right,antistrophe 3Be near us, protect us, and show that the city is dear in your sight!

Have heed for her sacrifice holy, and thought of her offerings take, Forget not her love and her worship, be near her and smite for her sake!

(ETEOCLES and his retinue re-enter.)

ETEOCLES (addressing the CHORUS)

Hark to my question, things detestable!

Is this aright and for the city's weal, And helpful to our army thus beset, That ye before the statues of our gods Should fling yourselves, and scream and shriek your fears?

Immodest, uncontrolled! Be this my lot-

Never in troublous nor in peaceful days To dwell with aught that wears a female form!

Where womankind has power, no man can house, Where womankind feeds panic, ruin rules Alike in house and city! Look you now-Your flying feet, and rumour of your fears, Have spread a soulless panic on our walls, And they without do go from strength to strength, And we within make breach upon ourselves!

Such fate it brings, to house with womankind.

Therefore if any shall resist my rule Or man, or woman, or some sexless thing-The vote of sentence shall decide their doom, And stones of execution, past escape, Shall finish all.Let not a woman's voice Be loud in council! for the things without, A man must care; let women keep within-Even then is mischief all too probable!

Hear ye? or speak I to unheeding ears?

CHORUS (chanting)

Ah, but I shudder, child of Oedipus!

I heard the clash and clang!

The axles rolled and rumbled; woe to us, Fire-welded bridles rang!

Say-when a ship is strained and deep in brine, Did eer a seaman mend his chance, who left The helm, t' invoke the image at the prow?

CHORUS (chanting)

Ah, but I fled to the shrines, I called to our helpers on high, When the stone-shower roared at the portals!

I sped to the temples aloft, and loud was my call and my cry, Look down and deliver, Immortals!

ETEOCLES

Ay, pray amain that stone may vanquish steel!

Where not that grace of gods? ay, ay-methinks, When cities fall, the gods go forth from them!

CHORUS (chanting)

Ah, let me die, or ever I behold The gods go forth, in conflagration dire!

The foemen's rush and raid, and all our hold Wrapt in the burning fire!

ETEOCLES

Cry not on Heaven, in impotent debate!

What saith the saw?-Good saving Strength, in verity, Out of Obedience breeds the babe Prosperity.

CHORUS (chanting)

'Tis true: yet stronger is the power divine, And oft, when man's estate is overbowed With bitter pangs, disperses from his eyne The heavy, hanging cloud!

ETEOCLES

Let men with sacrifice and augury Approach the gods, when comes the tug of war:

Alaids must be silent and abide within.

CHORUS (chanting)

By grace of the gods we hold it, a city untamed of the spear, And the battlement wards from the wall the foe and his aspect of fear!

What need of displeasure herein?

ETEOCLES

Ay, pay thy vows to Heaven; I grudge them not, But-so thou strike no fear into our men-Have calm at heart, nor be too much afraid.

Alack, it is fresh in mine ears, the clamour and crash of the fray, And up to our holiest height I sped on my timorous way, Bewildered, beset by the din!

ETEOCLES

Now, if ye hear the bruit of death or wounds, Give not yourselves o'ermuch to shriek and scream, For Ares ravins upon human flesh.

LEADER OF THE CHORUS

Ah, but the snorting of the steeds I hear!

ETEOCLES

Then, if thou hearest, hear them not too well LEADERHark, the earth rumbles, as they close us round!

ETEOCLES

Enough if I am here, with plans prepared.

LEADER

Alack, the battering at the gates is loud!

ETEOCLES

Peace! stay your tongue, or else the town may hear!

LEADER

O warders of the walls, betray them not!

ETEOCLES

Beshrew your cries! in silence face your fate.

LEADER

Gods of our city, see me not enslaved!

ETEOCLES

On me, on all, thy cries bring slavery.

LEADER

Zeus, strong to smite, turn upon foes thy blow!

ETEOCLES

Zeus, what a curse are women, wrought by thee!

LEADER

Weak wretches, even as men, when cities fall.

What! clasping gods, yet voicing thy despair?

LEADER

In the sick heart, fear maketh prey of speech.

ETEOCLES

Light is the thing I ask thee-do my will!

LEADER

Ask swiftly: swiftly shall I know my power.

ETEOCLES

Silence, weak wretch! nor put thy friends in fear.

LEADER

I speak no more: the general fate be mine!

ETEOCLES

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 偷得浮绯半生闲

    偷得浮绯半生闲

    自从苏公子的身体慢慢恢复,府里便开始有意识地放权于他,即便他确有这份能力,面对苏家偌大的产业刚开始也忙的脚不沾地。这天,苏公子不干了,甩下也没剩多少的账本,抱着自家亲亲娘子仰躺在摇椅上晒太阳,舒服的眯了眯眼:“娘子,你是神医,告诉他们我身子还虚不宜过度操劳,之前是如何以后便还是如何吧。”周围一众奴仆:“......”喂喂喂,我们听见了啊。某‘神医’挑挑眉:“我倒不知道原来你也会偷懒耍滑。”苏公子温顺的垂眸:“以前病着,阿浮陪着的时间还多些,现在好了,反而没时间了。这般本末倒置,那我倒宁愿病着。”某‘神医’忍不住心软,抚摸着她最抗拒不了的温顺大狗:“这种偷得浮生半日闲的感觉不也很好么?”苏公子微微一笑,温声道:“不,我更想要的是偷得浮绯半生闲。”被吃得死死的某‘神医’心里甜的不行,忍不住送上香吻一枚。至于最后么,你见过苏公子想办而办不成的事么?第二日,管家含泪接回账簿,算了,为了尽快有一个小主人,他就再多操劳十几年吧。
  • 九色妖姬

    九色妖姬

    在半纪元,有人族与幻族并存,两族共同分有上,中,下影。某某年,一只被封印的怪兽释放出世。现在,只有人族与幻族的上影联手,才能打败怪兽。请看女主如何逆天玩转两族,打败怪兽,释放主角光环。
  • Boss总裁,我爱你

    Boss总裁,我爱你

    他是T国的总统,他叱咤风云,只要他打个喷啼T国就会抖三抖。她是一个被抛弃的千金。一个吻将他们连在一起,他答应她一辈子在一起,可是风云突变他们又该何去何从……
  • 吸血鬼伯爵—雾岛

    吸血鬼伯爵—雾岛

    一个迷雾缭绕的孤岛,一片预示着死亡的森林。一个神秘的古堡,一个孤单的伯爵,一段迷离的身世。安琪知道自己是特别的,但是,无论如何,都无法预测这些匪夷所思的事情。而她的特别也许是为了遇到特别的他。“上帝安排我们遇见每个人都是有原因的。无论发生什么,都是为了到达那个目的地”
  • 屠娘子

    屠娘子

    这是一个很严肃的穿越故事。人家穿越要么种田经商成为地主婆,要么家宅情仇当上话事主母,要么宫闱风云跻身后宫之首,要么……反正,就是不会出现她这样的情形。你见过木钗布裙的下堂妇,拧着一把杀猪刀抛头露面杀猪求生存,袖子一卷做菜觅良缘,手中菜刀一挥征蛮夷的吗?哎,穿越神马滴,果然是个严肃的技术活儿!看吧,果然是一个很严肃的故事。
  • 混乱世界止战之殇

    混乱世界止战之殇

    混乱的世界,各种势力,交错位面的入侵者,来自星空的侵略者,魔龙的出现纪元开始走向毁灭,在危机的关头。救世的英雄出现,用生命封印了魔龙,纪元变得破烂不堪,新的文明在旧的纪元上新生。千万年后沉睡的魔龙再次出现,新的纪元岌岌可危。这次救世者还会再次出现吗?万年前纪元的大战,万年前凭空英雄和魔王,巨大的棋盘渐渐出现,纵横交错中,谁是棋子,谁又是棋手。各方势力接连出现,在这混乱的世界战斗中,寻找答案的紫冥,走在崎岖的道路上,和伙伴一起寻找想要的答案
  • 魔帝霸宠乖獗小姐

    魔帝霸宠乖獗小姐

    他,至尊,冷酷,狠獗却只为她一人倾尽所有温柔她,王者,狠辣,猖狂却只为他一人卸下全部伪装他对她宁负这天下,只为博的红颜一笑她对他宁独面苦难,只为和他睥睨天下
  • 公元2077

    公元2077

    在近未来的2077年,名为“despair”的病毒爆发,一个月零14天的时间内全球接近四分之一的人被感染,被感染者中99.999%的人都变成了行尸走肉被病毒操纵袭击他人。而这个绝望的世界上只有被感染者中那特殊的0.001%的人能够拯救这个世界......
  • 梦回嫣然笑

    梦回嫣然笑

    苍天在上,我天都元后元嫣然以灵魂起誓:若有来生,我与你秦常笑世世纠缠,不死不休。【此文是架空王朝,与任何历史朝代无关。】
  • 境界轮回

    境界轮回

    前世是个家财万贯实力强悍的大少,转世重生之后却过上了与老乞丐一起过街乞讨的艰苦生活.....尽管如此,少年却依旧胸怀大志“我一定会成为这个世界的绝世强者”......神秘的玉佩让少年的真实身份变得扑朔迷离,恐怖绝伦的《神魔轮回决》又让少年走向何方.....